Smith Scores Five Times, Lugo Makes 15 Saves in Season-Opening Triumph

TOWSON, Md. - Fifth-year senior Ben Smith (Baltimore, Md./Archbishop Curley) scored five times, while another fifth-year senior, Justin Lugo (Davie, Fla./Saint Andrew's School) made 15 saves as the Goucher College men's lacrosse team opened its season with a 7-4 victory over Methodist University Saturday afternoon at Beldon Field.

• Goucher (1-0) staked itself to a 1-0 lead 4:53 into the game on an unassisted tally by Dylan White (Dagsboro, Del./Indian River).
• The Monarchs (0-1) scored a man-up goal with 4:36 left in the opening quarter.
• Smith scored his first goal of the game in the final seconds of the first quarter, with Jack McDermott (Wilmington, Del./The White Mountain School) assisting.

• The Gophers extended their lead to 3-1 with 11:07 left in the first half as Smith scored an unassisted tally.
• Methodist scored back-to-back goals 23 seconds apart, with the second a man-up tally, to tie the game 3-3 with 3:16 left in the half.
• The two teams went into intermission tied 3-3.

• Neither team scored in the third until Smith scored his third of the day, with McDermott assisting, with 2:30 remaining in the period.
• Another Smith goal, this one with 26 seconds to go, increased the lead to 5-3.
• All five of Methodist's shots in the quarter were on goal, with Lugo making five saves.

• Smith made it a 6-3 game with his fifth goal of the contest 1:25 into the fourth.
• McDermott got on the board with 8:16 remaining for his first goal of the season.  Sam Stewart (Denver, Pa./Cocalico) assisted on the tally.
• Methodist's J.R. Newman scored in the game's final seconds.

• Smith's five goals are a career high as he led the Gophers with 14 shots, nine of those on target.
• McDermott finished with a goal and a pair of assists.
• Methodist outshot Goucher 39-30 and won 10 of the game's 13 faceoffs.
• Lugo made 15 stops.  Last season he made double-digit saves in 13 contests.
• Methodist goalie Gabe Russell made 11 saves.
• The guests were 2-4 with the man advantage, while Goucher was 0-4 in man-up scenarios.
• Sean Nolan (Las Vegas, Nev./Faith Lutheran) led the Gophers with four caused turnovers, while Kyle Ramos (Silver Spring, Md./Bethesda Chevy Chase) recorded three.
• Milan Temple (Joppatowne, Md./Concordia Prep), Aaron Butera (Fort Meade, Md./Meade), McDermott and Dwayne Barnes, Jr. (Salisbury, Md./Parkside) tied for the team lead in ground balls with three.
• Goucher wins its season opener for the first time since 2018.
• The win marked the first for Gopher head coach Kyle Hannan in his return to Goucher.  Hannan was the coach of the Gophers from 2001-12.

• Goucher is back in action next Saturday, February 25 when it hosts Berry in a 3 pm game at Beldon Field.